I woke up on Tuesday - the day we left - with a bad cold. It zonked me for 4 days.

BTW: I don't care if the AMA doesn't think that Playa Lung exists, if you talk pretty much non-stop all week, through dirt storms and dehydration, your lungs are going to burn a bit from breathing alkali dust.

Resurrecting a topic from the cooler, so to speak - but this year seemed REALLY dust-friendly, compared to last. Minimal winds, clear visibility, and so only used my bandana during the burns and whiteouts, spent 10 days on playa building and breaking down our camp, felt fine. But... it's now Sept 20 and I've STILL got dry throat, coughing, spitting up clear phlegm. Guess this is... normal? Worth checking out? Hmm.

Although, it might made a difference if you're not insured. If this had happened to me, I would have called the advice nurse. I'm sure s/he exists because it's cheaper to have triage done over the phone, but it's more convenient on my end as well.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

I know someone who did get Valley Fever after burning man (from Vancouver). They were treated (successfully) with antifungals. It isn't a reportable disease so there may be more prevalence than is realized. Another good reason to keep that mask on when the dust blow.